Section 617. Powers and duties

a. The commissioner shall have the powers
  and perform the duties of a commissioner of social  services  under  the
  social   services   law  for  the  purpose  of  fulfilling  his  or  her
  responsibilities under this chapter. The  commissioner  shall  have  the
  power  to  perform  functions  related  to  the  care  and protection of
  children including, but not limited to:
    1. performing the functions of a child protective  service,  including
  without  limitation,  the  receipt and investigation of reports of child
  abuse and maltreatment;
    2. providing children and families with preventative services for  the
  purpose of averting the impairment or disruption of families which could
  result  in  the  placement of children in foster care; enabling children
  placed in foster care to return to  their  families;  and  reducing  the
  likelihood  that  a  child  who has been discharged from foster care may
  return to such care;
    3. providing suitable and appropriate care for children who are in the
  care, custody, or guardianship of the commissioner;
    4. providing appropriate daycare,  Head  Start  and  other  child-care
  services; and
    5.  providing  services  to  ensure  that  legally responsible parents
  provide child support.
    b. Wherever the  powers  and  duties  of  an  agency  other  than  the
  administration  for  children's  services as set forth in the charter or
  administrative code  confer  any  authority  over  the  areas  of  child
  welfare,  child  development  or  child  support  enforcement within the
  jurisdiction of the commissioner  of  children's  services  pursuant  to
  section  six  hundred  seventeen of this chapter, such powers and duties
  shall be deemed to be within the jurisdiction of the administration  for
  children's  services  and  shall  be  exercised  by such administration;
  provided that such other agency may  exercise  such  powers  and  duties
  where  required  by  state  or  federal  law,  or, with respect to child
  support enforcement or  determinations  of  eligibility  for  subsidized
  child  care,  by  the  department  of social services as directed by the
  mayor.
    c. No agency practice, including  but  not  limited  to  any  tracking
  system,  record keeping or reporting system or data collection system or
  device, may prejudice the rights of,  stigmatize  or  otherwise  harm  a
  person  because  of  his  or  her  gender  or relationship to a child or
  children involved in a child  protective  matter.  To  the  extent  that
  requirements  of  this  subdivision  are  subject to state approval, the
  agency will request permission to make any changes in  policy  necessary
  to  comply with the provisions of this subdivision within ninety days of
  the effective date of the local law that  added  this  subdivision.  The
  agency  shall promulgate such rules as are necessary for the purposes of
  implementing and carrying out the provisions of this subdivision.